Kris Bowers

Kris Bowers

Kris Bowers (composer)
Collaboration with LACDC: SUMMON | Dance Film

3-time GRAMMY nominee and Academy Award®–winning director, composer, and pianist Kris Bowers is known for his thought-provoking playing style and genre-defying film compositions that pay homage to his classical and jazz roots. Since gaining prominence through collaborating with musicians and artists across genres, including Jay Z, Kanye West, Kyle Abraham, chef Fredrik Berselius, Kobe Bryant, Mahershala Ali, Justin Simien, and Ava DuVernay, Bowers has composed music for film, television, documentaries, and video games. His works include The Snowy Day (for which he won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Music Direction and Composition in 2017), Dear White People, Green Book, When They See Us, Black Monday, Madden NFL 20 and Madden NFL 21, Mrs. America, Bridgerton, Bad Hair, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Respect, King Richard, and The Color Purple.

Bowers, an official Steinway Artist, received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Fred Hersch, Eric Reed, and Kenny Barron. In 2011, Bowers won The Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition, receiving a recording contract with Concord Records and personal acknowledgment from special event honoree Aretha Franklin. In 2014, after he released his first album, Heroes + Misfits, iTunes named Bowers one of 12 “Artists to Watch.” In 2016, Bowers was selected to perform at the White House for International Jazz Day, hosted by President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama. Bowers, an avid collaborator, has created wholly unique experiences through performance art and installations with Abraham.In.Motion (led by choreographer Kyle Abraham), Alvin Ailey Dance Company, and artist and professor Ekene Ijeoma.

After 20 years of artistic creation and community engagement, L.A. Contemporary Dance concludes its journey as an organization as of January 9, 2026.

Founded to showcase dance in Los Angeles, LACDC evolved into a home for collective artistry where performances were crafted by choreographers and dancers alongside playwrights, composers, designers, filmmakers, photographers, stage managers, technicians — an incredible team whose imaginative work gave shape and emotional depth to our repertory. These collaborations brought contemporary dance to life in ways that were bold, explorative, expressive, and accessible.

Through live events, digital experiences, and educational programming, LACDC cultivated environments rooted in curiosity, belonging, and learning without judgment. The organization consistently asked how contemporary dance might better reflect and serve the community around it, valuing discovery over mastery and process alongside performance.

This vision was made possible thanks to the creativity and leadership of our Artistic Directors, Executive Directors, Managing Directors, and Company Staff:

Artistic Leadership

Kate Hutter Mason — Artistic Director & Co-founder (2005–2015)
Genevieve Carson — Artistic Director (2016–2020)
Jamila Glass — Artistic Director (2021–2025)

Executive & Managing Leadership

Michelle Jolly — Executive Director & Co-founder (2005–2009)
Lauren Dragicevich — Managing Director (2009–2013)
Eva Angeloff — Managing Director (2013–2018)
Napoleon Gladney — Executive Director (2019–2025)

We are profoundly grateful to all who have left their fingerprints on the organization. This work would not have been possible without the support of our board members, donors, producers, presenters, community partners, volunteers, students, audiences, friends, and family — all who believed in this work. You made it possible.

While LACDC as an organization is closing, the values we cultivated continue forward through the relationships formed here and in all of you.

To anyone considering starting a company or pursuing a dream project — do it. Start now. Don’t wait for the opportunity; be the opportunity. We need your voice and creative work more than ever.

Thank you for being part of this extraordinary journey.

L.A. Contemporary Dance
(2005–2025)